Cutter carton



June 11, 1963 E B Y N 3,093,279

CUTTER CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 21, 1960 INVENTOR EDWARD T BRYANT ATTORNEYS.

June 11, 1963 E. T. BRYANT 7 CUTTER CARTON Filed Nov. 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 54 52 INVENTOR EDWARD T. BRYANT BY w ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,093,279 CUTTER CARTON Edward T. Bryant, Chesterfield County, Va., assignor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 70,759 4 Claims. (Cl. 225-43) This invention relates to a foil dispensing package, a carton having a knife edge and the blank therefor.

Foil packages have presented problems to the industry and the user because the knife edge is a dangerous element which must be carefully handled during merchandising as well as during use. Large cartons containing jumbo sized rolls present an even greater hazard in this regard. Attempts to overcome this disadvantage by adding complicated structural elements to the carton are not economically feasible.

This invention provides a control means or handle for moving the knife edge from its housed position within the carton into a cutting position adjacent the front panel of the carton. The knife edge need not be touched by the user and may be rehoused, if desired, by a simple manipulation of the handle. The invention also enables the user to rehouse the knife edge and tuck the handle inside the front panel in a manner whereby a length of foil extends outwardly of the carton so that upon reuse the user merely pulls on the extending foil to lift the handle out of the carton. The parts are proportioned in a predetermined manner to insure the presentation of a length of foil beyond the front panel regardless of the position of the knife edge and handle.

For a better understanding of the invention and its other objects, advantages and details, reference is now made to the present preferred embodiments of the invention which are shown, for purposes of illustration only, in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the package showing a portion of the carton cut-away;

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the carton of FIG. 1 taken on line 22;

FIG. 3 is a similar cross section with the cover panel elevated;

FIG. 4 is a similar cross section with the knife edge in cutting position externally of the carton;

FIG. 5 is a similar cross section showing the position assumed by the foil when the handle is tucked inside the front panel, the phantom line showing the position the foil would take if the foil roll were oppositely wound; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the inside face of the prepared blank from which the carton of FIG. 1 may be formed, adhesive being present at the shaded areas.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen in FIG. 6 that the carton is made from a one piece prepared blank longitudinally scored to form in the following sequential order: a front panel 14, a bottom panel 16, a rear panel 18, a hinged cover panel 20, an outer front flap control panel 22, an inner support panel 24, and a cutter panel 26. The blank is transversely scored and longitudinally cut to provide and form end panels 28 at each end of the front, bottom and rear panels. As will be noted, cutaway portions are provided in certain panels to facilitate assembly and manipulation of the box; the ends of the control panel 22 and the support panel 24 which provide a handle 30 having arcuate notches 32 at their common score-line 34 to facilitate tucking the handle inside the front panel 14 as shown in FIG. 5. Adhesive areas are identified by shading in FIG. 6. Adhesive areas 36 (shown in phantom) at the top of the front panel 14 are utilized to seal the carton. Adhesive 38 unites the con- "Ice trol panel 22 to the support panel 24 to provide the handle 30. The adhesive areas 40 on the end panels are employed in the usual fashion to construct the carton.

In use the user would lift the handle 30 (FIG. 2) to break the seal of adhesive 36, naise cover panel 20 and withdraw the leading foil edge 42 from the roll 44 as shown in FIG. 3. When the desired foil length has been withdrawn, the handle 30 is manipulated to swing the cutter panel 26 and its knife edge 46 outwardly of the front panel; the cover panel 20- is then lowered to its closed position as shown in FIG. 4. By proper lifting manipulation of the handle 30, the foil may also be withdrawn past the knife edge to a desired length when the cover panel 20 is in the down position. The length of foil may then be severed by the knife edge. If another length of foil is desired, the user would lift the cover panel 20, grasp the leading edge of the foil extending beyond the front panel 14 and withdraw the desired additional length, accomplishing the severing thereof by returning the knife edge to the position shown in FIG. 4. The package may be stored in the condition shown in FIG. 4 or the handle 30 may be tucked behind the front panel 14 as shown in FIG. 5.

The cutter panel 26 has a width of approximately half the width of the front panel 14 so that a reasonable length of foil will be ava iiable for grasping after tearing off the withdrawn foil length. A substantial leading edge portion is desired so that a suflicien-t length 48 will be available outside the carton when the handle 30 is placed in the tucked-in position shown in FIG. 5. In small cartons having a 2 inch by 2 inch end measurement, the handle 30 may have a width of about /2 inch and the cutter panel 26 may have a width of about 1 inch. In larger cartons, the handle may have a width of about /2 inch and the cutter panel 26 may be many times larger. It has been found that the handling and tearing operation is facilitated if the knife edge 46 is longitudinally aligned with the middle longitudinal portion of the front panel 14.

As mentioned, the cutter panel 26, which has the knife edge 46 at one side, is connected at its other side by a connection means or support panel 24 to the control panel 22, the support panel 24 being adhesively secured in faceto-face engagement with the inside of the control panel 22. The connection means 24 positions the side edge of the cutter panel 26 at approximately the hinge line between the control panel 22 and the cover panel 20.

The score line 50 between the cutter panel 26 and the support panel 24 provides a connection of predetermined structural strength to enable manipulation of the cutter panel by the handle 30. It will be understood that some flexibility at this connection will be present in certain types of board materials used for the manufacture of the carton. The cutter panel 26, through score line 50 and manufacturing manipulations, assumes a normal rest position at a major angle to the handle 30; usually this angle is an acute angle approaching degrees. When the cutter panel 26 is housed, the knife edge 46 is positioned above roll 44 and adjacent the inside of cover panel 20 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5; when the cutter panel 26 is in cutting position, the handle assumes an easily manipulatable substantially horizontal position.

The knife edge 46 may be formed by a treated and hardened portion of the cutter panel 26; the embodiment shown includes a knife means 52. attached to the longitudinal free edge of the cutter panel by burrs 54.

The package may be used for all types of foil; strips or sheets of thin material such as paper, plastic, metal and the like are examples.

While present preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be recognized that the invention may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a carton having longitudinally extending panels and including a front panel and a longitudinally hinged cover panel, a front flap control panel longitudinally hinged to said cover panel for movement from a first position in a close parallel relationship with said front panel to a second position extending outwardly away from said front panel, a cutter panel having a longitudinal knife edge at one free side edge, connection means connecting the other side of said cutter panel to said control panel at the hinge between the front flap control panel and the cover panel to facihtate movement from a storage position within the carton to a cutting position in face-toface engagement with the outside of said front panel, said connection means being of predetermined structural strength to enable said movement of said cutter panel by manipulation of said control panel between said first position and said second position.

2. In a carton having longitudinally extending panels and including a front panel and a longitudinally hinged cover panel, a front flap control panel longitudinally hinged to said cover panel, an inner support panel fixedly connected in face-to-face engagement with the inside of said control panel and having a side edge positioned at the hinge between said control panel and cover panel, a cutter panel connected to said side edge of said support panel and having a knife edge at its free side edge, said control panel and said support panel providing a handle for manipulating said cutter panel between an inside position wherein said knife edge is adjacent the inside of said cover panel and an outside position wherein said knife edge is adjacent the outside of said front panel.

3. A foil package comprising longitudinally extending panels including an elongated carton having a front panel and a longitudinally hinged cover panel, a front flap con trol panel longitudinally hinged to said cover panel, an inner support panel fixedly connected in face-to-face engagement with the inside of said control panel and having a side edge positioned at the hinge between said control panel and cover panel, a cutter panel connected to said side edge of said support panel and having a knife edge at its free side edge, said control panel and said cutter panel each having a transverse width less than said front panel, said control panel having a transverse width less than said cutter panel, said control panel and said support panel providing a handle for manipulating said cutter panel between an inside position wherein said knife edge is adjacent the inside of said cover panel and an outside position wherein said knife edge is adjacent the outside of said front panel, a roll of foil positioned in said carton and having an unwound leading edge extending upwardly between and beyond said front panel and said control panel when the cover is closed and the control panel is tucked inside of said front panel.

4. A one piece blank having longitudinal and transverse score lines for forming a hinged cover carton comprising successively a front panel, a bottom panel, a rear panel, a cover panel, an outer front flap control panel, an inner support panel, and a cutter panel, side edges of said panels being defined by the longitudinal score lines, said front panel and said cutter panel having free side edges, the cutter panel free side edge being the location of a cutting edge, end forming panels connected by the transverse score lines to one or more ends of the front, bottom, and rear panels, said front flap control panel and said inner support panel having substantially the same transverse width to enable a face-to-face relationship between the two to provide a handle when the carton is formed for manipulating the cutter panel between an inside position wherein said cutting edge is adjacent the inside of said cover panel and an outside position wherein said cutting edge is adjacent the outside of said front panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS France Ian. 27, 1954 

1. IN A CARTON HAVING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PANELS AND INCLUDING A FRONT PANEL AND A LONGITUDINALLY HINGED COVER PANEL, A FRONT FLAP CONTROL PANEL LONGITUDINALLY HINGED TO SAID COVER PANEL FOR MOVEMENT FROM A FIRST POSITION IN A CLOSE PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FRONT PANEL TO A SECOND POSITION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID FRONT PANEL, A CUTTER PANEL HAVING A LONGITUDINAL KNIFE EDGE AT ONE FREE SIDE EDGE, CONNECTION MEANS CONNECTING THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID CUTTER PANEL TO SAID CONTROL PANEL AT THE HINGE BETWEEN THE FRONT FLAP CONTROL PANEL AND THE COVER PANEL TO FACILITATE MOVEMENT FROM A STORAGE POSITION WITHIN THE CARTON TO A CUTTING POSITION IN FACE-TOFACE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OUTSIDE OF SAID FRONT PANEL, SAID CONNECTION MEANS BEING OF PREDETERMINED STRUCTURAL STRENGTH TO ENABLE SAID MOVEMENT OF SAID FRONT PANEL, SAID MANIPULATION OF SAID CONTROL PANEL BETWEEN SAID FIRST POSITION AND SAID SECOND POSITION. 